Healing Hearts
by MaileS
Summary: One little girl. One big secret. A time for family to reunite. A time for hearts to heal.
1. Prologue

_**Hey this is my second story. I hope everyone likes it.**_

_**I do not own NCIS (although I wish I did because Jenny definitely wouldn't be dead) so none of the characters belong to me(except Kathleen and any other OC I may add)**_

_**This isn't the beginning of the story it is kind of like a mix of background and prologue or maybe**_

PLOT

While partners Jen and Jethro had a little girl, but Jenny believes that she is dead. Jethro raises her but lets everyone think that she is adopted. After agent Todd is killed Jethro sends her to Mexico to stay with his former boss, Mike Franks, planning to bring her home when Kate's killer is caught. Those plans change when Jenny becomes director. Not ready, or willing, for Jen to know about their daughter, Jethro leaves her with Mike in Mexico. There she stays, that is until Gibbs ends up in a coma after being blown up... again. When Jenny contacts Mike, hoping to find someone who can help Jethro recover his memory, he returns to the U.S. Bringing the little girl with him. Gibbs, already having confusing flashback about Jenny, remembers all of their history as soon as he sees their little girl. The rest of his memory, however, does not return until after Ziva visits him.


	2. Kathleen

_**So here is my next update. I usually won't be updating this quickly but soccer just got over so for the time being I have a little more free time in my schedule.**_

_**Please tell me what you think of my characters and the way I portray the original NCIS characters. This is how I see them.**_

_**I'm not really sure that I like the name of my story so if any one has any suggestions please let me know.**_

"Papa," Mike Franks looked down at the little girl clinging to his hand. "Is daddy going to remember me?" Looking down into her big green eyes mike would have given anything to have been able to say yes. The 6 ½ year old had been through so much in her short life. Mike knew he was one of the very few people who even knew her true age and identity. Kathleen Abigail Gibbs was, to the rest of the world at least, the 6 year old adopted daughter of Leroy Jethro Gibbs. In actuality little Kathleen was the 6½ year old biological daughter of Leroy Jethro Gibbs and his former partner Jennifer Kathleen Sheppard. Kathleen had been born nearly three months early and had been taken from her unconscious mother soon after birth. The people who had taken her from her mother believed her to be dead or else they would have killed her themselves. One of them, however, decided that he couldn't allow a baby to die, let alone kill one himself, so he took her to a hospital saying that he had found her abandoned on the side of the road. By the time the baby was in the care of the hospital there was very little chance, if any at all, that she would survive. Already tiny and underdeveloped because of her early arrival she was weak and barely breathing from a lack of warmth and care.

Looking at her now her minute size, making her look more like a four year old than the 6½ year old, was the only visible side affect of her near fatal beginnings. Her dark hair seemed to glow a deep dark red in the sun as they walked out the airport doors. "I don't know, kitten. But that's why your Daddy's boss called us here."

"No Papa, that's why my mommy called you here. She doesn't know about me," Kathleen said sadly.

Mike stopped in his tracks and looked down at the child in amazement. "What are you talking about, little girl?" he asked trying to sound stern.

"My mother is Daddy's boss," she said matter of factly. "That's why he left me with you even though he caught the bad man who killed Katie. He didn't want her to know about me."

"Where did you hear that Kathleen?" he asked seriously as he pulled her to a bench outside the airport. He sat down so that he could look into her eyes.

"I don't know," she replied, refusing to meet his eyes. "I don't remember." She knew if she looked up he would be able to tell that she was lying.

"Kathleen Abigail Gibbs," his tone caused her to look up at him. "Where did you hear that?"

"I heard you and Daddy talking," she all but whispered. "I didn't mean to. I was hiding to surprise Daddy but you came in talking and I didn't want to get in trouble" Tears filled her eyes and her lower lip quivered. "Why doesn't Daddy want her to know about me? Did I do something wrong?"


	3. Jethro

_**Here is chapter two.**_

_**I still don't own NCIS so nothing belongs to me**_

_**Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I hope you like this next chapter**_

Jethro stared at the ceiling of his hospital room confusing flashbacks running through his head. Many showed him Shannon and Kelly, the family that he'd lost. Those weren't confusing, no; the confusing flashbacks involved the redhead who claimed to be his boss. With the memories playing in his head she most definitely wasn't his boss, or at least she hadn't always been. There was no way he would have done or said the things he remembered to his boss, especially not when she was the director of NCIS. Yet, there was something about those flashbacks that rang true in his gut; something that told him he could trust those memories as well as the woman in them. When she had talked to him or even looked at him there was something that called to him. Despite his own emotional pain, he hadn't missed the hurt in her eyes, especially when he'd begged for Kelly and Shannon.

The newly re-opened wounds of losing Shannon and Kelly, along with the conflicting feelings he felt when Jennifer Shepard had walked into his hospital room and the pain he'd seen in her eyes had overwhelmed him. The last thing he remembered before being sedated was her tear filled eyes overflowing as she tried to comfort and calm him.

When he'd awoken, she was gone but he had gained a few of his memories back, all of her. The memories he now had didn't fit with the relationship he seemed to have with Jenny, especially since she denied being an ex-wife when he had asked. Yet he distinctly remembered marrying her. If they were still married, however, surely she would have said something or done something that said, "Hey I'm your wife."

It was one of the few things he'd remembered, their marriage that is. That day and the day she'd told him she was pregnant were two of the most vivid memories. What he remembered feeling on those two occasions rivaled, if not exceeded, what he'd felt the day he'd married Shannon. This left him feeling guilty and conflicted. He new that when he'd married Jenny, Shannon and Kelly had been gone for a long time and he would've healed, but right now it seemed as if they had just died and he had betrayed them by loving Jenny and by being ecstatic at the thought of being a father again.

Being a father again… that brought another set of questions. Where was the child? How old was it? Did he have a son? Or had Jenny given him a daughter, a little girl who looked just like her? These questions and more tormented him as he relived those memories over and over.


	4. Jenny

_Here is the next chapter. Sorry it took so long, I've been really busy. AP classes really stink. _

_Tell me what you think._

Jennifer Sheppard sat behind her desk at NCIS. A lone tear made its way down her cheek as she stared at the two objects in her hands. The door to her office was locked and she had ordered Cynthia to hold all her phone calls and send anyone who wanted to see her away unless they had important info about what had happened to Gibbs.

In one hand she had a photo. It showed two people, two people, a man and a woman, who seemed to radiate love and happiness. The man stood behind the woman, his arms wrapped around her, holding her close. His dark hair, already beginning to turn silver, contrasted with the icy blue of his eyes which stared lovingly at the woman he held in his arms.

In her other hand was a pile of grainy black and white images. When looking at them most people would see nothing and pass right over them as unimportant. To Jenny, however, they were the only pictures she had of her baby. They were the only connection she had to the little girl she'd lost and to everything that should have been.

The images blurred as tears continued to fill her eyes before overflowing and creating streams down her cheeks. All the pain and guilt overwhelmed her and she began to sob. The image of Jethro laying in a hospital bed crying for Shannon and Kelly haunted her. The knowledge that he'd lost his family, not once but twice, the second time because of what she'd done, plagued her.

Another image played before her eyes as she slipped from her chair and curled into a ball. She saw her tiny premature baby laying in her arms struggling to breath. She was staring into her daughters green eyes, eyes that were identical to her own, as she willed all her strength into the small blood covered body.

Her own strength was quickly running out as she fought against that pain that threatened to overwhelm and the darkness trying to claim her. She felt her baby grow limp in her arms before slipping into unconsciousness, her last thoughts being that it was all her fault and that she was so, so, sorry.

Her tears continued to flow as she relived her baby daughters death "My baby," she whimpered, holding the sonograms closer to her heart. "Mommy loved you so much. I would have done anything to save you baby, anything."


	5. Kathleen's Worries

_**Here is chapter 4, finally. Sorry it took so long. I finally have time now that school is out.**_

Kathleen gripped Mike's hand more tightly as they entered the hospital. The closer she got to seeing her daddy the more worried she became. What if he didn't remember? Would he still love her? What if he sent her away? Kathleen didn't know what she would do if that happened. She was terrified that her daddy wouldn't want her anymore.

"Kathleen," Mike said as they got closer to Jethro's room. She looked up at the sound of her name. "When we get to your daddy's room I want you to wait outside okay?"

"Why?" Kathleen asked her green eyes questioning and fearful.

"I want to see how much your daddy remembers before I bring you in. I'm not sure he even remembers me Kitten."

"What happens if Daddy doesn't remember? Wi… will we go back to Mexico?" her lower lip trembled and her voice wavered as she asked.

"No, sweetheart. We're going to make sure that your daddy gets his memory back. If he doesn't know who I am I'll see what he does know. Then, if I think he can handle it I'll bring you in okay Kitten?"

She tugged on his hand and motioned for him to crouch down and look her in the eye. "You promise? Do you promise that I'll get to see Daddy?"

The pleading in her eyes make it impossible for him to refuse. "I promise Kathleen, you'll get to see your daddy."

"Okay," She climbed into a chair that had been placed right outside Gibb's hospital room. "Make Daddy remember me, please Papa. I want to see him, please."

"I'll do my best, Kitten." He kissed her forehead and entered the hospital room.


	6. Jethro and Mike

_**Hey, I know that I haven't posted in a really long time and I'm sorry for that…. But for some reason this chapter just didn't want to be written. Part of the reason is that I don't have cable and I couldn't find a place online that would let me watch a specific scene enough times to allow me to write what I wanted. The other part of the reason is just the fact that real life tends to get in the way of things, unfortunately. However, I have finally managed to write this chapter and I hope everyone enjoys its!**_

_**I will be using a lot of quotes from NCIS this chapter so just as a reminder I do not own any of the characters. They all, excluding Kathleen, belong to CBS.**_

"Tomorrow, I won't be here," Gibbs said to himself as the nurse walked out the door. He didn't know where he would be but he knew he wasn't just going to sit here in a hospital room and wait for his memory to return. As he turned to the T.V. a familiar voice came from the doorway.

"Hello Probie." Jethro looked at the man standing just inside his room as memories flashed across his mind. He began to climb out of bed saying "Hi, Boss," as he went. The two men stared at each other for a moment before Franks spoke.

"Damn, you got old Marine." Gibbs' reply was quick and automatic. "Have you looked in the mirror lately?" were the words that came out of his mouth before he could think. He then laughed as Franks lifted his hand to slap him before lowering it again.

"If you hadn't been in a coma," Mike growled as he shook his head before hugging the younger man.

"They're dead, Mike, Shannon and Kelly. They're both dead." Jethro's voice quivered slightly as he pulled away from the hug.

"I know, Jethro." Franks replied as he helped Jethro back into the bed. He knew that he was going to have to help Jethro through this, at least a little, before he could possibly bring Kathleen in.

"It can't have been fifteen years… can it?" Gibbs asked, part of him hoping that Mike would tell that it hadn't. Instead all he got was a stare that, while not containing pity, was certainly not the usual hard stare he was used to receiving. "God, it seems like I just got the news in Kuwait a couple of months ago. Franks just continued to look at him as he tried to work out a time line in his head.

All of the sudden it hit him and he looked up at Franks. "You investigated Shannon's murder. That's how I met you."

As Gibbs continued to talk about first meeting Franks and what happened next Franks continued to just look at him hoping that by letting him go through this his memories would continue to come back. Although at some points he couldn't help but interrupt. Especially when Gibbs' said that Mike taught him to be an agent. "Nah, I didn't teach, you observed," he said smirking.

As more of Gibbs memories came back and he got to the point the Franks quit, Mike pulled out a cigarette knowing that they were probably going to argue over this again, although they had both eventually agreed that it was a good thing as it had made him available to protect Kathleen years later. Not that Probie will remember that yet, thought Mike with an internal sigh before saying "I didn't get calluses on my a** flying from Mexico to argue Jethro."

"You're right, I'm sorry." Jethro shook his head and sighed before asking "why are you here Mike?"

Not ready to tell him exactly why he was here; Mike decided to take a different route that would hopefully do one of two things. One distract Probie long enough for him to think of a good way to bring up Kathleen. Or two cause his memories of the Director to come back so that he would remember himself. "You're Director called me. What's with a female NCIS director crap/"

"I don't know," Gibbs replied. "I only remember Jenny as a.." the memories of their wedding day and the day she announced her pregnancy once again going through his head before he was interrupted.

"Jenny?" Mike said acting incredulous.

"Yeah, Jenny. She said she was my partner."

"What kind of partner?" Mike asked hoping that it would stir up memories of the couples more complicated relationship.

Jethro wasn't sure what to say. Should he tell Mike what Jenny had told him? Or should he say what his memories and gut were telling him? A minute passed as he debated what he was going to say.

"Probie?" Mike queried after a while. "What aren't you telling me?"

"She said we were partners…"

"But?" Franks put in.

"I remember more than that…. I know we were more than that. Or at least I think I do." Gibbs just shook his head as if hoping that the action would clear something up for him. When he looked back up into Mike's face he realized something. "You know."

"What do I know, Probie?" Mike asked staring him straight in the eyes.

"You know what she was… is to me. You can tell me if what I remember is real and, if it is, why she didn't say anything about it." His voice got louder as he became more and more excited.

"Calm down Probie. I can't tell you anything until I know what you remember." Franks prayed that he would remember getting married or at the very least being in a romantic relationship. What he didn't realize was that his friend remembered those things and more.

"I remember getting married," he said softly as his mind went back to that day. "I remember how happy I was and how much I loved her. But how is that possible Mike, I still love Shannon!"

"Probie it had been nearly six years since Shannon and Kelly's deaths when you met Jenny. It had been eight when you married her. You can't feel guilty for loving someone else. Your girls would have wanted you to be happy." They still do though Mike to himself, just not the ones you're missing now. "What else do you remember, Probie?"

"I remember finding out Jen was pregnant," Jethro said before stopping and waiting for a reply. When none came he once again looked up into the face of his former boss. "What do you know Mike? What are you not saying? Do you know what happened to the baby?" he asked desperately needing to know what had become of the child he didn't remember.

Mike debated internally for a minutes before deciding that a direct approach was probably the best course of action. "Probie," he said as he headed towards the door. "There is someone you need to meet. Come here Kathleen," he called out into the hall way holding his hand out to be taken.

Jethro watched as a tiny hand reached up to grab Mike's large one before Mike led its owner into the room. He gasped as piercing green eyes stared out at him from a tiny face whose features were recognizable as those belonging to himself and to Jenny. Memories began to flood his mind just before a single word began to heal his broken heart like no other could. "Daddy?"


End file.
